Phil Rawle - Visiting artist

A cold, wet afternoon is not the best way of appreciating Hanley Park, but in lots of ways it reflected its current run down qualities. However, the Park Traces project gives hope to a brighter future for the park and is an opportunity to discover and explore what that future might look like. We were given a tour of the whole park and I was particularly interested in the change of levels and the numbers of sets of steps. They seemed to me to represent ‘rising up’, ‘leading to somewhere’ and literally ‘steps forward’ which is analogous to the overarching Heritage Lottery project objectives.

I started thinking of using garden canes (a common and cheap support for plants and a natural choice in a garden context) to create a set of steps in 3D. I considered how these might be made, the biggest issue being how to join the canes together at each of the joints so that they remained sturdy. I experimented with wooden blocks, tape and string. Should this prove difficult, I had a back up plan which was to draw an isometric plan of the steps in chalk on the ground, sited between some of the existing steps near the bandstand. When sharing this with the group it was proposed that I do the drawing first (planning phase) and then spend the rest of the time trying to build it and exploring the issues that came about (construction phase).

The drawing took 3 hours. In the remaining time I cut the bamboo to size and began tying it together with string. It was a slow process. Whilst the string made secure joints, as the structure grew it became more and more unweildy. In the end, within the timesale, I was only able to create one side of the steps. Again, this seemed to me to reflect the very nature of the design process, the need to effectively marry the design process to the construction process and ensure appropriate time and consideration is given to both, or it will all fall down! Hanley Park was opened in 1897 and for many years it was what people wanted. Its fall into disrepair is indicative of its lack of contemporary purpose and why it is unloved by much of the local community and receives relatively few visitors for a park of its size. It is essential that any development of the park is innovatively carried out to create a resource that fulfills the needs of a larger audience and that can create purpose and revenue to reduce the likelihood of it deteriorating in the future.

Whilst I was unable to complete the steps within the week of the residency, I intend to reconstruct and finish them and add to the blog during the next few of weeks.

Park Traces Residency - Jenna Naylor

Having never applied to a Residency before, I was initially nervous about what it might entail, although hearing I had a place quickly turned that into excitement. Having an opportunity to work alongside artists with so many different ideas and techniques has really inspired me to think about the future of my own work.

While the first day involved a lot of walking in the rain, it was brilliant to see the park in a completely different way. I don't live locally, however I travel past this park everyday and have also done a previous intervention in the park, but I have never explored it in so much detail before. Having done previous research into Land Art, particularly the British artist Andy Goldsworthy, I noticed that quite often he kept a diary about the areas he created his work. When we were asked to the our own '10 Photo Walk', I decided to write as well as taking the photographs. Here is an excerpt from part of my explorations:

"Gorgeous flowering plants, rhododendrons, slight floral smell amongst damp rain and soil. Flowers strewn across ground, newly fallen and wilting. Translucent petals in the puddles. Underneath one plant I can hear buzzing, possibly a bee or wasp. Rain hitting leaves above, but I'm sheltered. Warm damp."

While we were walking near to the Boathouse, there was a large fallen tree or log sitting on the grass verge, which nobody seemed to even notice as we walked past. I found it's textures and shapes really interesting. Anna also mentioned later on that it was actually a 'bug sanctuary' deliberately placed there.

I knew that for with my work, I wanted to bring attention to features in the park that may go unnoticed or initially unappreciated. While talking with Phil about ideas I had, we came to the log and by chance the sun had been out for a while, and the grass nearby was completely covered in daisies. I'd never seen so many in one area, so I knew I had to use this somehow in my work.

Everything in the park seemed circular in some way, so I decided to pick a circle out of the daisies, and place the flowers into a circle onto the log, as a positive and negative, and bringing subtle attention to both.

 

To fix the flowers onto the log, in the end I used golden syrup, as it is naturally sticky, and would also make the bugs living in the log very happy!

Now that I've created the work, I am pleased but there are also things I would have done differently. A larger circle in the daises perhaps would've been more noticeable, as halfway through the day people were sat right next to the circles I'd picked and never noticed them. However I also like their subtlety, as you could only see them clearly from certain angles, or only if you were looking closely.

While talking to people in the park, (which was quite difficult for me, as I'm quite shy) very similar things kept coming up, such as the Boathouse being a cafe once and how it'd be nice to have one again. I hope through this project the park can be restored to it's former glory, but at the same time the communities requests to be heard as it's them who use the park, and will hopefully continue to do so in the future.

Charlotte Howell: Hidden Masterpieces

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Park Traces Residency in Hanley Park.  This was the first artist residency that I have applied for and I hope to do more in the future.  The experience was very fulfilling, knowing that we have helped in the regeneration of Hanley Park.

I came up with many ideas from strolling around the area and researching into the Park's heritage.  At first, after having a group discussion at AirSpace Gallery, I intended to install picture frames around the Park, so that the grounds could be seen as art in their own right.  Although I wanted to create an artwork that was interactive with the public.

I then thought about the idea of an Orienteering Course, allowing people of all ages to take part in a Treasure Hunt around the Park.  'Hidden Masterpieces' was created to entice people into the area.  I tend to look at the precise details of places focussing on their decorative exteriors.  Therefore I took close-up images of areas found within the Park.  I felt that it was important for the public to notice the artistic aspects that the grounds have to offer rather than focussing on its tired exterior.

Cards were given out containing 12 close-up images of places around the Bowling Green and The Bandstand.  Inviting the public to search for the specific locations on their cards.  At each point was a Tag that held a unique letter.  The participants were told to record the letters in order for them to spell out a twelve-letter word relating to the Park.  All of the successful participants were rewarded with a prize.

I felt that my piece went well, each person that took part was dedicated to finding all of the locations and winning the prize at the end.  All of the children seemed to enjoy the activity and could be seen roaming around the Park looking for the secret locations.  Some of the locations were harder to find than others, but with some help each of them managed to complete the course.

One participant told me that she had found it difficult for her child to take part in an activity in Hanley Park.  She was very pleased when she came across 'Hidden Masterpieces' as it meant that she and her daughter could enjoy a single activity that could last the afternoon.

In the future I am thinking of creating more activities of a similar genre.  The courses could be used in any Park that is in need of regeneration or as a fun activity enticing members of the public into the area.

I feel that we helped to encourage more members of the public into Hanley Park.  The future is promising for the area as many social groups use the area already, including Anglers, Tennis Players, Cricket Players and Runners.  The 5K running event is held every Saturday at 9am in the Park and around the world.  The only concerns about the area are its maintenance and security.

Shelley Gregory's Post: Were You There:

As my practice develops I am becoming more interested in the power of art to engage with communities. Art may not be able to solve issues per say but it can raise awareness and facilitate questions.

As we explored the park over the week we used various techniques, geomapping, sound walks, drawing, photography and group discussions. The overwhelming sound within the park for me was the birdsong. The park is a haven for a variety of birds including a woodpecker.

On one of my sound recording walks I stood beneath a tree capturing the sound of a blackbird. The rain was falling from a very grey sky but his song was still joyous. For those few moments nothing else mattered I was completely focused on the song. It was then that a couple walked by. They were soaking wet, weary and from their conversation as they passed by in pain from a long walk.  As I suspected they were homeless. It was this moment that sparked the idea for my piece. Hanley Park is so important to them, it is where they are living at the moment. They find shelter there. I was reminded of the old hymn, “When I Needed a Shelter, Were You There?”

There is a pagoda in the park, a relic from the 1986 Garden Festival. It is small but it is a shelter. I printed the words to the song and hung them in the roof. I wanted a visual reference to each verse so beneath the words I placed cardboard boxes to be plinths for objects, a reminder of the Cardboard City.

“I was cold I was naked” – A blanket, “I was hungry and thirsty” – Bread, fruit and grape juice, “I needed a shelter” – a house brick, “I needed a neighbour” – a cup of sugar. Not only are they practical symbols of our basic needs as human beings they reflect the answer that I have found in my life to meet my needs. As a Christian I read the Bible and see that the life of Jesus is reflected in these objects. He drank from the cup of suffering and was crucified, His folded grave clothes were a sign of His resurrection, Communion reminds me of this and I have found a permanent home with Him. These spiritual beliefs call me to live a life that provides practical help.

Everyone I spoke to that was using the park on Saturday would like it to have a café. I think that if the HFL bid is successful then a café should be priority. It would be a good hub within the park for everyone.  I know that some coffee shops have a system where customers can buy a ‘spare drink’ with their own. Then if a homeless person comes in they can get a drink. It’s a small thing but it can make a huge difference.

The residency was an amazing experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to apply for similar projects in the future.  

Carrie Pletscher, Contemporary Art Practice FdA student

Despite the rainy start to the week, the group were warm, welcoming and eager to engage in the process of response to site.

My background in Garden Design has conditioned me to formulate a pragmatic response to a site - through technical surveys of dimensions, orientation and site features - so exploring alternative ways of recording the site, such as audio walks and GPS tracking, gave me a fresh approach, a wider palette of possibilities and encouraged varied responses from participants.

One of the aims of the residency was to use our interventions to gather opinions from park users, which would feed into the Heritage Lottery Fund development bid, so I was keen to base my response on the park users themselves, and how they use the site, rather than the wealth of historic features and mature planting schemes.

One of my first observations within the park was the enormous but unrealised potential for viewpoints due to the sloping nature of the site which had been developed into terraces. Our inherent desire to seek out vantage points was thwarted by the overgrown planting.

Environmental Psychology is the study of how surroundings influence people; how they feel, how they move about and how they interact. The former ‘Oval Bowling Green’ is no longer maintained as a bowling green but I was interested to observe that the majority of visitors followed the perimeter paths rather than creating ‘desire lines’ by cutting across the grass. This prompted me to think about the nature of this open space and to explore ideas for encouraging visitors to venture onto it; to challenge the historic ‘KEEP OFF THE GRASS’ status that bowling greens evoke.

I wanted to encourage visitors to walk about within the space, rather than to simply walk through it, so decided to use an ancient device for creating a symbolic journey within a confined area; a labyrinth. Labyrinths have featured in most cultures throughout history and have many uses ranging from spiritual contemplation to exercise and fun. They differ from mazes in that there is a single route leading to the centre and back out again. Additionally the decorative geometric pattern of the labyrinth could be viewed from the approach bridge and from other positions along the bandstand terrace - if the overgrown planting were cut back to create the potential viewpoints that I had earlier identified.

During group discussions I discovered that another student had developed a similar response to the former Oval Bowling Green so we decided to work together to create our temporary intervention. 

I envisioned a labyrinth of mown grass paths with a picnic glade at the centre, bordered by tall grasses and wildflowers which would increase biodiversity and insect habitat through a sustainable, low-maintenance and vandal-proof planting scheme.

(image by Jan Glennie-Smith, Available from: 

http://www.basicjoy.com/wordpress/bellehaven-on-the-james/

Given the short timescale and temporary nature of our interventions we decided to create the labyrinth using masking tape. Our 40m diameter design took two and a half hours to lay out and used over 700m of tape.

It was fascinating to observe how simple white lines compelled visitors to follow them, tracing the concentric circles, inspiring impromptu races and creating a sense of achievement for having completed the route. The space was reclaimed and reincarnated - if only for the afternoon – but I would be delighted to see the idea taken forward in the future development of the park.

The Park Traces Residency

The Park Traces Student Residency concluded just over a week ago, and it is about time I got around to writing up what happened.

9 students worked with 4 artists, myself, Bethan Lloyd Worthington, Phil Rawle and Andrew Branscombe (who was with us on day one for a GPS session, and the final day to help with install and technical stuff) plus Glen Stoker did a great job of photographic documentation.
We started on Tuesday 28th may, with a series of workshops on Day one and two, designed to help everyone get to know each other at the gallery, and then orient the group around the park.

This included drawing sessions, photowalks, spoken word walks, a reading session led by Bethan, which included texts on Park Design, fiction and architectural texts and various other activities to look at the place, and set the context. We talked about what the role of the Heritage Lottery project might be, and how the park may change. Pauline Withington from the council parks team came along, and gave us a great insight into the processes of change, and was really generous with her time - especially as it was raining!
We also during the week did a session on talking to the public, designing a creative consultation tool to use alongside the developed artworks, hopefully using the works created as a way in to talking to the public about the future of the park.
The 9 students had support from the artists to develop their ideas, and had to very quickly come up with plans to intervene.

The Saturday saw us meeting up bright and early in the park to install the works, and get ready for the day ahead. The sun was out, and everyone was armed with the consultation tools to start conversations with the public.
The Projects:

The above map shows the locations of the 11 artworks produced, and the page below the details given out to the public, to help them locate and find out about the works.

Details of a few of the works: Dan Hayes created a 'Beacon of Hope' which was a sculptural piece, photographed in various locations around the park, bringing light and hope to otherwise forgotten areas.

The sculptural piece was exhibited on the day, unplugged, alongside images of the lit up beacons, talking about the current wasted potential in the park,

but looking to a future where light is brought back into this wonderful space.

Next, we saw Phil Rawle picking up on the various staircases in the park, which make it more difficult, for wheelchair users and parents with buggies.

Phil drew out a technical drawing of a staircase on the ground in chalk, also referencing the stages of development needed to see the park back to its former glory.

Charlotte Howell, was interested in drawing attention to some of the really beautiful features that can be easily overlooked in the park, and created a Heritage Treasure trail.

This piece did a fantastic job of getting the public exploring the park differently, and was particularly popular with the younger park users, and their families.

Sophie Henshaw created a fairy garden from a particularly wild part of the Park. 

A proposition for a wild flower patch on the left, and a flower potting activity were designed to keep younger park users entertained, and as a way of starting a conversation about the importance of green spaces.

The piece that I worked on involved the use of a motif that I have been developing lately, Buddleia.

The plant is able to find even the smallest piece of fertile ground and bloom there, and I am using it as a metaphor for the way that artists maximise all potential, in the most unlikely places, and make creative statements. One of the things that my practice tends to pick up on, is gaps.

One of the glaring gaps for me, in the park as it is today, is in the amenities and facilities for park users.

Toilets in particular are an issue, as the toilets are often closed, and when open, they are in a pretty bad state. I decided that 'every bog should have its day' and decided to clean up the ladies, and make them pleasant for the day of Park Traces.

This intervention would be flagged by the Buddleia on the ladies toilet sign, which we also cleaned and painted up.
Bethan Lloyd Worthington became interested in the bowling pavilion block (now unused apart from the toilets) as this was one of the buildings that Pauline mentioned they may wish to get rid of. This sparked lots of conversation around the value placed on heritage buildings, if it is more than 100 years old it must be kept, but anything since the 50s needs to be knocked down. Will this be something we will live to regret?
Each of the participating artists have been invited to write up their experiences, so see other posts for details.